| Cake – Hem of Your Garment Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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after thinking about this for quite a while, i came up with another way to look at this song. after reading about the biblical significance of the "hem of his garment," i think this song was directed towards a "higher-being" or "god." the song is pretty religious. the song is like a confession. it even starts off as one, as he confesses he is "no good," (a sinner). his heart is "made of wood." meaning he is a creation of god/jesus (god/jesus was a carpenter). the man is "biding time," on earth, waiting until he reaches heaven. "reciting memorized lines" refers to the chanting of his daily prayers. i think hes trying to say that despite being a "good christian," he is losing faith. because his belief in god is not complete, he is "not fit to touch the hem of [jesus'] garment." *to thouch the hem of jesus' garment is to be healed from all suffering. in order to do this, one must have complete faith. second verse: he is at a spiritual low. he has no love for life, all he has left are the "goals" of reaching heaven. his soul feels nothing; he is numb. the fact that his sould could "easily kill" symbolizes his internal anger and frustration. once again, he remarks that, because he has lost faith, he is not worthy of being healed. i found this other intersting religious excerpt about the hem of jesus' garment: To reach the hem, one has to be at a low point, lower than the hem and reach up. If a person is at a low point in their life and reach up, they will find the hem of HIS garment. The hem will be able to hold them, if they hold on and follow or go with it. using that information, its easier to see that the song is about a loss of faith in religion and such. |
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| Cake – Hem of Your Garment Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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i agree with those who think it's sarcastic. even the melody suggests sarcasm...very playful. i think if the song was meant to portray a more sincere unworthiness toward someone, there would be different music playing. its wonderful. so mischievious and devious. he probably hates the girl. because she thinks shes the "sh*t" and no one is good enough. |
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| Cake – Friend Is A Four Letter Word Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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okay. pretty much, he loves her. but for her, there is nothing more than friendship. to hear this word "friend" disgusts him, because it means they can be nothing more. as lovesick as he is, he cannot stand to be just "friends." in his case, it's either all or nothing. "call me morbid or absurd." translation: call me crazy, but calling me just a "friend" is insulting. "when i go fishing for the words." refers to the point in the future when he will tell her how he really feels, when he professes his love to her (because right now, this fact is unknown. he has kept it from her because he is afraid she does not feel the same way). He knows that when he professes his love, she will say they are only "friends," but deep down inside, he is hoping, will always be hoping she really does love him. its a pretty sad song when you think about it. poor guy, has all this hope...essentially for nothing. she's never gonna love him back, it is only his fantasy. |
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| Cake – Frank Sinatra Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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i think its about society and how future trends always replace the greatness of the past. Frank Sinatra, a classic, is an ancient radiation. he is sometimes heard on the radio these days, but hardly ever. he has almost been forgotten. his air-time is almost as insignificant as static. and to add onto what sandman930 said about "the ancient radiation that haunts dismembered constellations is a refrence to old stars dying," the stars dying are a direct reference back to Frank Sinatra, an old music Star. The "ancient radiation" occurs everytime an old song like his is played, reverberating legends like Frank. onto the old man, he saves all the memorabilia of the past, that everyone else has already "thrown away." To him, these items are collectors. He thinks he will be rich someday when the Stars (frank and others) become popular again. The man's hopefullness and optimism is contrasted with the song's overall sense of despair. i think that's all i can say about the song for now |
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| Cake – Mexico Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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pretty much, i think he feels inferior to this "perfect" girl who he has somehow snagged. He knows the relationship cannot last, however, because he fears that she does not know what love is. and that her feelings are not genuine. this is why he cannot give his whole heart to her, he is afraid of being hurt. to keep him from getting hurt, he must go to mexico, which represents "safety." people from the US often fleet to the Mexican border for safety. Mexico also symbolizes Romance and Passion, something his relationship with this girl lacks. he admits he does love her. the reason she does not believe him is because he does not show is true emotions. he cannot, or his heart may be crushed. when she expresses her feelings for him, he has doubts that he is, in fact, correct. this girl is too "good" for him. she is "no good" for him. hope that made some sense.. |
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| Cake – Meanwhile, Rick James... Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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okay, i just lost everything i wrote, but i'll sum it up. 1. it's "Fawn, Joe, and Tootsie" ...all names 2. Nude, not new 3. possibly "lettuce-toothed junkies," not sure however. and for the excerpt from an interview with John about the song: "'Meanwhile Rick James' is an interesting one. I wrote it a long time ago, before any of this crap with Rick James getting arrested ever occurred. Once that happened, it was very strange because it almost seemed like the song had been written about something that would take place at a future date. Honestly, I don't know about Rick James' personal life, other than what I heard, but the song kind of happened, and then it was about something and it was kind of eerie. It was [initially] about something in a very general sense. There was a guy in Berkeley named Rick James, and Rick James' music always frightened me as a 10-year-old because of its overt sexuality. Kids got freaked out by the '70s and '80s, so I think that's what it's about in a general sense. It's not the kind of song where I'm trying to tell a story. But the weird thing about it [is that] it ended up telling a story." so there you have it |
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